Temptation. Each of us faces it every day in one way or another. Even Jesus was not immune to temptation. Satan threw everything he had at Jesus, attempting to get Him to betray the Father, yet Jesus was able to overcome this temptation. But how did He do it? By getting to know Jesus and studying how He responded to temptation, we can be imitators of Christ and also overcome temptation.
One: You must know the strategy of Satan.
Satan uses the same strategy today that he used, first with Eve and then with Jesus: poisoning his victims with venomous lies that cause them to doubt God and the truth of His Word. Satan dispensed his venom to Eve by twisting what God had told her. Satan is crafty in that way; he will give just enough of the truth to confuse his victims. He inquired of Eve, “Did God REALLY say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden (Genesis 3:1, NLT)?” Eve had no defense against Satan. She listened to his lies, doubted, and then sinned against God.
On the other hand, Jesus defended Himself against Satan’s lies by administering the antidote: the truth of God’s Word. Like Jesus, you can successfully resist Satan, but to be successful, you must know the strategy of Satan and arm yourself against him. You must know God’s Word to recognize Satan’s vicious lies and counter them with the Truth.
Hide God’s word in your heart so that you will not sin against Him( Psalms 119:11).
Two: Keep Your Eyes on Jesus.
You must keep your eyes on Jesus. Don’t look at the temptation. When the temptation stands in front of you and wants you to look at it, do as Jesus did and tell it to get behind you. And like Jesus, recognize that the temptation is a “dangerous trap” and that the lies that are being whispered in your ear are presented from “a human point of view, not from God’s ( Matthew 16:23)”. Don’t take your eyes off Jesus like Peter did when he was walking on water. Don’t let the whisper of the lies that you don’t need God, that just one time won’t hurt, or that God doesn’t love you distract you like the wind and the waves distracted Peter. Instead, “keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. (Hebrews 12:2-3 MSG)
Three: Pray.
Jesus was tempted but never sinned. To overcome this temptation, He used the Word of God, but He also spent a lot of time in prayer (Matthew 14:23 NLT, Mark 1:35, Luke 9:18, Luke 22: 39-41). Jesus told His disciples to “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak”. (Matthew 26:41) When the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, He told them to pray these words: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Matthew 6:13 Paul reminds us that “no temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” (1st Corinthians 10:13) God will provide a way out. Ask Him. Go to Him in prayer. Follow Jesus’ example.
Prayer to Overcome Temptation:
Because of who Jesus is and what He did for me on the cross, I am approaching you Father with confidence that you will show mercy and grace and help me in my time of need (Hebrews 4:16). I know that faith is the victory that overcomes (1st John 5:4), but Lord I confess sometimes my faith seems like it cannot overcome my desire to do those things that I know I should not do. Fill me with the Holy Spirit so that I can walk by the Spirit and not gratify the desires of my flesh (Galatians 5:16). Lord help me stay alert and watchful so that I can recognize Satan’s lies (1st Peter 5:8-11) and resist him. Your Word promises that you will not allow me to be tempted beyond what I can stand and that You will provide a way out (1st Corinthians 10:13) Lord, I am standing on your promise right now. Show me the way out. Remind me in my time of need of your promises so that I can overcome Satan with the Word of your Truth. Thank you for standing with me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
